


Homecoming

by BosieJan



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Actual plot, Archon Pavus, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Dialogue Light, Eventual Relationships, Gen, M/M, Slow Romance, Tevinter Imperium, at least for the first chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-03 12:10:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4100485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BosieJan/pseuds/BosieJan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(NOT Trespasser DLC-related) Dorian knew that going back to Tevinter was going to be hard, but his support system is top-notch and his eyes are on the prize.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homecoming

After Corypheus’ defeat, Dorian’s trip back to Tevinter was bittersweet. He didn’t _want_ to leave Skyhold and make the long journey at _all_ , but the Inquisitor insisted that he go. She sent him out of the city weeks later, before the sun rose that day, with a sturdy horse of his very own, and an entourage of a half dozen soldiers–standard soldiers, not templars or even former templars, due to where they were going–and a cart of supplies for their trip. 

Dorian had refused the generous offer, but the Inquisitor was a very dear friend, and she got rather pushy when it came to the closest of them.

He wasn’t expecting fanfare or a parade when he returned, and therefore wasn’t disappointed when none came. An emissary from House Pavus met them at the bridge and walked with them through the gates of Minrathous, into the city proper. Dorian knew that the discussion he’d had with his father months earlier–nearly a year actually, if his memory served correctly–would soften his return with the family, but he also knew that his flight from Minrathous brought shame down upon them, and he’d have to answer for it sometime. The fact that he was also a hero of the Inquisition alongside his companions, would be brought up by Dorian himself, however.

The welcome from his father was casual and somewhat cold, but Dorian had expected no less. Halward had forgiven his son for leaving and Dorian had accepted his father’s forgiveness with a heavy heart, but as a grown man and still their only child, Dorian was able to make his own decisions regarding his romantic future, so long as he afforded the family his attention to what magisterial duties would become his. 

As a Magister, Halward was important but not irreplaceable, and as the son of a Magister but not one himself, Dorian still had the choice to become one, or try as his father had once wanted; for Dorian to become Archon. Runaway or not, Dorian was still an altus and not yet a Magister, so he still stood in a very short queue for a very important position.

Within a week of arriving in Minrathous, the soldiers that had accompanied Dorian were eager to return to Skyhold. They had gone along with the Inquisitor’s demand, that they protect Dorian and help him arrive safely in Tevinter, but they had a long journey ahead of them and Dorian made sure they were well-paid for their services. 

They left with the same cart and horses they had arrived with, and Dorian added another cart with more provisions, as well as exotic supplies for Skyhold and the Inquisitor herself, for allowing him the use of the soldiers and for Dorian’s leave. Word was sent by raven to let the Inquisitor know that they had arrived, Dorian was settled, and the soldiers were returning, so all was well. He would attempt to strike up trade agreements between Tevinter and the Inquisition–if only to maintain ties with his companions and their cause–and would continue to work Tevinter from the inside.

It was slow-going.

Tevinter was still deeply-rooted in its traditions, and Dorian found that adjusting to life in his homeland was far more difficult than he had envisioned. Gone were the days of ‘Tevinter excess’ with murders and gala parties and public humiliation, and there to stay were solid rules and governance and mitigation. 

Tevinter society–and therefore the Archon himself–felt less threatened by the Inquisition than Dorian had expected, but they saw _the Inquisitor herself_ as the threat instead. Dorian’s close friendship with her only soured the nobles on him, and forced Halward to set them straight about House Pavus’ association with the Inquisition.

Dorian was to maintain communication with the Inquisition only to keep them placated on his position within Tevinter society, and to keep the Inquisition from advancing on the Imperium. It was win-win to Dorian; he could still keep in contact with his companions and allow himself the freedom of living in Minrathous without fear of assassination, but free trade between Skyhold and Tevinter may never become possible. If it meant trading goods via black market agents, Dorian was equally prepared to do just that. Archon Radonis’ actual alliance with the Inquisition aside, the majority of the Magisterium still loathed the idea of a truce with them, and not even the ruling hand of their Archon could keep the old Magisters from agreeing to a compromise.

Dorian wrote back to Skyhold as often as he could, but with his duties at home and the studies he was attending to become Archon, Dorian found that he didn’t write often _enough_. If he stayed an altus and didn’t become a Magister like his father, his chances of becoming Archon increased tenfold, because he was then considered to be an outside source of magic, and not corrupted by the recreational use of blood magic, though that was a joke if ever he’d heard one.

The Inquisitor wrote back far more often, describing the life in Skyhold now that the war was over, and the sky was once again safe. Her blossoming romance with their dear Commander was continuing as solidly as ever, with Cullen opening up far more than Dorian thought the man capable of. They were publicly together now with no question of their involvement, and Dorian waited as the days went by, to hear of a forthcoming marriage. She would be good for Cullen and the Commander himself had done a lot of good for her, as well.

Four months passed and the soldiers had long since returned to Skyhold from their trip to Tevinter, bringing with them the goods Dorian had sent along. There were spices and dried fruits, cured meats and hard cheeses, all items that could survive the lengthy trip. 

The bolts of fine fabrics and rolls of heavy parchment were given to Josephine to inventory and store for future use, and the plates of thinly-hammered gold and silver were locked away after being found carefully hidden within the fabrics, along with a note from Dorian. It stated that they were being provided for the Inquisitor, _‘for her upcoming and/or eventual nuptials‘_ , as he had wished for her to _‘look like a Queen whilst marrying her King’_.

It was an obvious sign that Dorian wasn’t going to return any time soon–unless it was a secret trip back _just_ for the wedding–and it saddened all but the Inquisitor, whose face still showed the happiness of a little girl after finding the precious jewelry plates, but also showed the strength and determination of the leader of a great power. She immediately had a ring cast from a portion of the gold Dorian had sent, and chartered a messenger to take it directly back to Tevinter, with instructions to hand it to Dorian himself and no other. 

It bore the seal of the Inquisition and the seal of the Tevinter Imperium together, and was made large enough for Dorian to wear it on his thumb, so it wasn’t exactly a ring with any power behind it, but was simply a token of the Inquisitor’s appreciation. 

Dorian received it a week before his induction into the position of Archon, as Radonis’ alliance with the Inquisition and his appreciation of the Inquisition’s duty of stopping Corypheus, put Dorian’s association into a higher standard than that of the other candidates. It was a step toward the sort of Tevinter Radonis wanted, and one which Dorian wanted, so it was a wise decision in the end, and one not entirely accepted by the Magisters already sitting beneath the Archon. 

Dorian would have to work on them little by little, but it was as much a ‘ _work in progress’_ as Dorian thought himself to be. Only now, he had an entire country to work with.

**Author's Note:**

> There will eventually be mild romance and relationships, but I'm not going to tag every character that vaguely shows up in the story. It's Dorian-centric, but will likely be eventual Dorian/random male Tevinters. I'm going for plot-driven Archon story and not anything distinctly 'shipped' in the fandom. Love me some Cullrian, Adoribull, and Dorian/Male Inquisitor, but I want to focus on Dorian alone right now.


End file.
